Posted on 28 Sep 2022 by Joy Gan
“Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in 3 persons, blessed Trinity”.
I’ve been singing this hymn ever since I came back from TTC 2022 (Thinking Theologically Conference) on “The Knowable God”! I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the Scriptures along with 400 spiritually hungry participants, gathered to understand our Trinitarian God from His Word. Singing hymns like “Holy, Holy, Holy” now have deeper meaning! What a privilege and blessing it is to know each person of the Godhead better and see their united work through the pages of history in redeeming a holy people for His glory. I am truly humbled to have a relationship with this amazing God!
Amongst the reflections I personally had from the conference were:
1. In the Godhead (Father, Son and Spirit), we see the immanent Trinity equally God, equally divine, three persons and yet one God. Each person has distinctive roles in creation and redemption, sovereignly working out all things as purposed by God the Father. There is nothing outside of the Father’s control because he is actively working throughout history and in all facets of life as Creator, Redeemer and Judge.
Thus I can work for Him, knowing that He is working in me to will and work according to His good pleasure and for His glory(Phil 2:13).Come what may (hardships, sickness, persecution etc), God is working all things together for good in order that I will be more like His Son (Rom 8:29). What a sovereign and gracious God He is! I can trust completely in Him and live dutifully for His Majesty.
2. I am always humbled when I think about how God became man. God the Son took on flesh and became a servant till death on a cross. He gave glory to His Father by completing the work He was sent to do, was raised to life and is now seated at God’s right hand till he returns as Judge. His atoning death to pay for my sins and the judgement I always deserved is something I will forever be thankful for. His Lordship means he deserves all of my life, not just what’s ‘comfortable’ for me to give up, or ‘reluctant ’to surrender. I need to keep dying to self, being willing to suffer for Him and serve Him wholeheartedly till He returns. O Lord, may my life be an acceptable offering to you!.
3. God the Holy Spirit is actively working in the Old Testament, as He is in the New Testament in creation and redemption. I’m dependent on Him even now when I open the Scriptures to convict me of my sin and to lead me into the truth(John 16:8,13), since He glorifies Jesus by taking what is His and declaring it to us. I’m thankful that His Spirit not only makes us His new creation after the likeness of Christ, but He also empowers us to be witnesses for Him (just as with the Apostles and Prophets).
“Lord, may I not fear man, but be strong in you and boldly proclaim God’s glorious gospel!”.
I’m humbled by our eternal God and driven to worship Him.
Another big “mind blown” moment I had recently was when we studied the life of William Tyndale. We’ve been doing the Reformation Theology Series at our church and I’ve been personally struck by the life of the Reformers, beginning with Martin Luther, who showed their unyielding zeal for the gospel of God. They risked their lives (and sacrificed themselves!) so that we could know the truth of God’s grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, in our final authority –Scripture alone, to God’s glory alone.
William Tyndale is the reason why I can hold the bible in my hands and understand God’s Word in English. Our sovereign God raised Tyndale up to translate the Scriptures from Latin to English and preserved his life amidst threats, shipwrecks, betrayal and finally execution, so that we can now have an English bible. Thank you, LORD! During the time when bibles were banned in church, and the king of England saw it as a threat, Tyndale prayed as he was put to death “Lord! Open the king of England’s eyes!”–a prayer which God answered in less than a year. This brings me to my knees, and I am driven to treasure His Word even more, and love His Son more.
How is it that men like Tyndale, Luther, and so many before them, could give up their lives for Christ? It’s because they understood the call, the complete devotion and the obedience demanded by our Lord who said in Mark 8:34-35 :
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
Paul also understood the worthiness of Christ and thus counted everything as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ (Phil 3:8).
If Paul loved the Lord more than his own life and would sacrifice it to bring the gospel to us Gentiles, if Tyndale counted his life as loss and was willing to lose it so that we could have the bible now, and if our Lord Jesus Christ gave up His life so that we should no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died and rose to life (2 Cor 5:15), then this glorious gospel which I’ve been merciful given, must be one which demands that I must give up my life, my all, in service of Him.
May we be humbled by our Eternal God and be driven to worship Him with our lives!
